We had a houseful of guests this weekend, and somewhere between multiple shopping trips with various relatives, we managed to come home with a box of Fruit Roll-Ups.
Heavy on the corn syrup and light on nutrition, kid-magnet products like this are usually banned at my house. Any food that turns your tongue bright blue seems just plain wrong—to me, but not to Jackson, who is 8 and thinks it’s a blast.
But do I have reason to worry, beyond the garish tongue and mostly empty calories? Last week the Center for Science in the Public Interest asked the Food and Drug Administration to ban eight artificial dyes, including three on the side of the box we bought at the grocery store (red 40, yellow 5, blue 1). You probably know CSPI: For more than 30 years they’ve been high-profile agitators against junk foods, bad nutrition labeling, additives, and more.
CSPI says there’s evidence that some artificial dyes and preservatives may contribute to hyperactivity and behavioral problems in kids. And it’s not just neon food. CSPI notes that some surprising products, such as certain brands of boxed macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, and cereals, contain these dyes.
One study that came out in The Lancet in 2007 found that children ages 3, 8, and 9 were more hyperactive after consuming a drink mix if it contained artificial dyes and a preservative. CSPI notes that the British are phasing out some of these artificial dyes.
Just a few weeks ago, an expert writing in the British Medical Journal suggested that eliminating such dyes should be considered standard practice for kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
I emailed Andrew Adesman, MD, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Schneider Children’s Hospital in Lake Success, N.Y. He said most experts don’t think that food coloring contributes to ADHD and don’t routinely recommend eliminating them from the diets of children who have the disorder. Still, he notes that although the FDA now considers such dyes safe (as does the European version of the FDA, the European Food Safety Authority), these organizations are known to change their tune based on new research.
When it comes to my blue-tongued, active but not hyperactive kid, Dr. Adesman takes a cautionary stance: “From a societal standpoint, we would probably all be better off with fewer synthetic dyes in our food. Although there is little support among professionals at present for such a ban, I think this subject is worthy of review.”
Comments (2)
Ever the laid back mom, I continue to allow my kids to select the bright blue ice pop and electric blue gatorade. I’ve never thought to look for hyperactivity after consuming such well dyed food. But maybe there’s a reason I always end up sending them outside to eat it.
I have always thought that food dye is weird and unnecessary ,but it is so hard to avoid. Everything has some sort of completely unnatural garbage in it. Whether it be food coloring, aspartame, sucralose or whatever else I can’t seem to get away from it!